Delia is outside, tending to her garden with Mimey with a smile on her face. It has been two and a half years since Ash and Serena got married, and Delia couldn't be happier for them. Every now and then, the two of them and Pikachu will visit her in Pallet Town, and she will hear all about the new adventures and people and Pokemon they have met along the way. She can always tell from the way they tell their stories that the two of them are happier than before now that they are united in the bonds of holy matrimony. She does get lonely with only her and her Pokemon in the house, but she is content, knowing that her only child is happy with the love of his life.

The woman wipes her forehead, feeling exhausted after filling her basket with her homegrown tomatoes. She turns to her Mr. Mime, who walks over to her with a basket full of green beans.

"Thank you, Mimey," she says, sweetly. "Those look very fresh."

"Mr. Mime," Mimey says cheerfully.

Delia smiles back and stands up before the two of them start waking back inside the house. She reaches out for the doorknob before she hears two familiar voices in the distance.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Pika, Pi!"

Delia's eyes widen, and her heart skips a beat. She and Mimey turn their heads to find Ash and Serena walking over to them with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Delia smiles brightly before she runs toward the three of them and pulls Ash into a tight hug.

"Ash!" She exclaims as she hugs her son.

Ash chuckles and says, "Hi, mom," as he hugs her back.

Delia lets go and turns to Serena before the two women hug. When they finish hugging, Pikachu jumps into the older woman's arms, and she hugs the mouse Pokemon while facing the couple.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" She asks. "I could have prepared lunch for you two and set up the guest room."

"We already had lunch before he came here from Viridian City," Serena answers. "Besides, we wanted to surprise you this time."

Delia smiles brightly and says, "Well, consider me very surprised. It's so good to see all three of you."

Serena smiles while Ash gives his mother his signature toothy grin. The three of them then walk to the house with Delia, still holding Pikachu and Mimey entering behind them. The five of them enter the living room where Delia puts Pikachu down and gestures Ash and Serena to sit down on the couch before she and Mimey go to the kitchen to make some tea. When the two of them come back, Delia places the tray of tea and takes her cup before sitting down, pouring a cup or herself, and takes a sip. She then turns to Ash and Serena, who haven't poured any tea for themselves, and are instead looking at her, smiling.

"What's the matter?" She asks.

The couple then to each other before Ash turns back to his mom.

"We have some news for you," he says. "We're going to buy a house here in Pallet Town."

Delia gasps sharply and puts down her tea.

"Going to buy a house? Why?" She asks.

"We've been talking about some things, and we decided it's time we find a place of our own together," Serena answers.

Delia blinks, bewildered with their announcement.

"But wait, don't you two still have your dreams to accomplish?" She asks.

"Of course we do, mom, but they're not going anywhere," Ash says assuringly. "We just need to put them on hold for a little while."

"But if that's the case, then why buy a house?" Delia protests. "You can stay here as long as you'd like. You know that."

"Of course we do," Serena says. "But we just think it's time that we find a place for ourselves that we can call home. In fact, we've heard that my old house next to Timothy's family is up for sale, so we're hoping we can buy that one."

"Yup," Ash says. "Besides, as much as we love it here, there wouldn't be enough room if we eventually give the baby a brother or sister."

Delia smiles and nods as she picks up her cup of tea.

"That's very mature of you, Ash," she says before taking a sip. "You never know if you'll end up having more than one ba -"

Suddenly, Delia's eyes widen, and her cup slips from her hand. Mimey quickly stretches out its hand, and the cup stops falling in midair, surrounded in a blue outline. It carefully puts the cup back on the table without spilling any of the tea. The older woman stands still like a statue with her eyes wide as she stares at her son and her daughter-in-law, who are grinning excitedly.

"B-b-b-baby?" Delia stutters.

Serena nods and puts her hand on her stomach.

"Seven weeks in," she says.
Delia keeps staring at the couple before her look of shock turns into indescribable joy. She jumps out of her seat and lets out a high-pitched scream, and Serena happily screams back as she and Ash stand up just in time for Delia to hug them both. Pikachu and Mimey are letting out their cries of happiness while Delia breaks the hug to look at the couple.

"Y-y-you're going to have a baby!" She stutters. "I-I-I'm going to be a grandma!"

"You sure are, mom," Ash says.

Delia feels tears coming out of her eyes as she asks, "Who else knows?"

"We dropped by Vaniville Town to tell my mom," Serena answers. "We planned to tell everyone else on the video phone after we told you."

Delia squeals excitedly and shouts, "I don't believe it! You're going to be parents. My little boy is going to be a father!"

"Yup, I'm going to be a daddy," Ash says with a toothy grin.

It takes a few moments before Delia slowly calms down while still smiling gleefully.

"Oh, I can't believe this is happening," she says.
"How do you think I felt when Serena broke the news to me?" Ash says with a chuckle. "I was out of my mind."

Serena giggles and says, "Oh, he was energetic, alright."

Delia giggles back before she turns to her son.

"I hope you'll be ready for when the baby comes, Ash," she says. "Raising a child is not the same as raising Pokemon."

"I know that, mom," Ash says assuringly. "It's not going to be easy, but I plan to do my best together with Serena. Plus, we have seven months to prepare while I'm helping Serena through the pregnancy."

Serena nods and confidently says, "It's going to be a challenge either way, but I know we're going to be great parents."

Delia smiles brightly and says, "I know you will. And when the little one is born, I'll stop by to help out every step of the way."

"Thanks, mom. We're counting on it," Ash says.

The room is silent for a moment before Delia's smile grows, and she lets out another scream.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet my little grandchild!" She shouts.

"Me neither," Serena says cheerfully. "I'm just so excited that I wish I could meet our child right now."

**********************************************************************

*Seven months later*

Delia is tapping her foot while she sits on a chair in the waiting room with Pikachu, Grace, May, Drew, Max, Bonnie, Dawn, and Piplup. The eight of them can hear Serena screaming to kingdom come on the other side of the hall. Max is rubbing Bonnie's back while she struggles to control her eagerness for the baby to be born. May also struggles to keep her cool at the sound of her friend's screams while Drew holds her hand. Dawn bites her lip while she subconsciously plays with the wedding ring on her finger. Pikachu looks at the floor with its ears down, uneasy with hearing Serena be in so much agony. Grace notices Delia still tapping her foot and puts her hand on top of Delia's.

"Calm down, Delia, she's going to be fine," she says. "My girl is tough."

"I know, but hearing her scream like that reminds me of when Ash was born," Delia says worriedly.

Grace lightly chuckles with her mouth closed and says, "I understand. It was pretty tough for me too."

"Is it always going to be tough?" Dawn says nervously.

Grace shakes her head and says, "Don't worry about it, Dawn. Unlike me, with Serena's father, you'll have Kenny with you the whole time."

"I know. It's just so unsettling," Dawn says with her voice cracking. "To think that will be me in a matter of months."

"Piplup," Piplup whines, sharing its partner's dread.

"I know what you mean," May says, turning to Drew. "I want us to have kids, but I feel terrified about going into labor."

Drew scoffs and says, "Come on, May. We all know you're stronger than that. You'll get through giving birth just fine."

May glares at the way her husband tries to comfort her nonchalantly, but then smiles, knowing that he's trying to be comforting.

"Ugh, I just wanna see the baby now!" Bonnie says childishly. "We've been waiting for ages now."

"Calm down, Bonnie," Max says. "We've only been waiting for -"

Bonnie turns to Max and gives him a menacing glare. The young man whimpers as if he saw a monster and gulps.

"I-I-I mean I want to see the baby really bad too," He says fearfully.

Bonnie gives him a smirk and says, "There's the guy I married."

Grace chuckles with her mouth closed, amused with the youngest couple. Everyone goes back to waiting in complete silence while Serena's cries are still heard. But then her cries start to die down, and another sound of crying is heard. Pikachu's ears perk up, and it raises its head while everyone else turns to the end of the hall. They all get up from their seats as the sound of a baby crying is heard from the other side of the hall. Bonnie's eyes light up, and she screams in joy.

"The baby's here! The baby's here!" she shouts.

Delia and Grace begin to tear up, and they turn to each other with bright smiles.

"We're grandmothers now," Delia says, trying to fight the tears.

Grace nods and hugs Delia, both trying to contain their tears of joy. The group waits several more minutes before the sound of the baby crying dies down, and a doctor leaves the room from the other side of the hall to walk over to them.

"Are Serena and the baby alright?" Dawn asks half-worriedly.

"They're both fine and perfectly healthy," the doctor says with a smile. "They just finished cleaning the baby up, so you can see them now."

Everyone smiles brightly and don't hesitate to walk past the doctor. Pikachu runs ahead of them and goes inside the room before they are halfway into the hall. They can hear Ash greeting his partner before they enter the room. All five women say, "Aw," at the same time as they see Serena lying on a hospital bed, holding her newborn baby wrapped in a soft blanket. The honey blonde woman is giving the child a heartfelt smile as the baby sleeps peacefully. Ash is standing next to Serena and the baby with a warm smile while Pikachu is on his shoulder, smiling widely at the sight of the baby. Delia and Grace walk over to Serena's other side and feel tears in their eyes again at the sight of their beloved grandchild. Dawn, Bonnie, and May have stars in their eyes while Max and Drew smile.

"What a cutie," Bonnie squeaks, trying not to wake the child.

"So adorable," Dawn coos while holding Piplup.

"Piplup," Piplup says happily.

"So adorable that I can't look away," May says either her hands clasped together.

Max and Drew nod before the later says, "And look, there's little z-marked cheeks just like Ash."

Ash grins and says, "Yep, and Serena's eyes too."

Right on cue, the baby wakes up and slowly opens its bright, ocean-blue eyes. The women "aw," simultaneously again before Bonnie stretches out her hands.

"Can I hold the baby first?" She asks.

"Sure, Bonnie," Serena says, sitting up to hand her child to her friend.

Bonnie's smile widens as she holds the baby, who looks at her curiously.

"Hi, I'm your Auntie Bonnie," she says cheerfully. "It's so good to finally meet you."

"And I'm your Aunt Dawn," Dawn adds, looking over Bonnie's shoulder. "And the Pokemon I'm carrying is Piplup,"

"Piplup," Piplup says, giving the baby a friendly smile.

"And you can call me Aunt May, you little cutie," May says behind Bonnie's other shoulder.

"Alright, now it's my turn," Delia declares.

Bonnie doesn't object as Delia scoops the baby up from her arms. The older woman looks at the newborn with a heartfelt look on her face.

"Hello, my little one," she coos. "I'm your grandma. Yes, I am. You are such a beautiful baby, just like your father. Oh, yes, you are."

Delia starts making baby noises as she holds the baby until Grace steps in.

"Alright, my turn," she announces. "I've been waiting to meet this kid longer than any of you."

Delia frowns but ultimately gives the child to Grace. The woman from Kalos stares deep into the baby's blue eyes and smirks.

"Hey, there. I'm your Grandma Grace," she announces. "I may not get to see you a lot since I live far away, but I promise to visit as often as I can. And when you get older, I'll teach you how to be a Rhyhorn Racer just like I did with your mother."

"Mom, please don't," Serena protests.

"Why not?" Grace challenges. "You never know what will happen. I thought you were going to be a Rhyhorn Racer until you went on your own path. Maybe having the passion for it just skips a generation."

Serena pouts before she sighs, reluctantly admitting her mom has a point.

"Fine, but can you at least give me back my baby before you get any other ideas?" She asks.

"Sure, honey," Grace says with a chuckle.

The older woman walks over to her daughter, and Serena takes her baby and smiles as she stares into the child's eyes. Ash silently gets on the bed, making Serena scoot over and Pikachu hop off his shoulder before he puts his arm around his wife while staring at the child too. The couple then turn to each with loving eyes before they lean in for a kiss.

"I'm proud of you," Ash says.

Serena looks at his husband, sweetly.

"I love you," she says.

"I love you too," Ash replies.

The raven-haired man then kisses Serena's head, and they go back to looking at their beloved child with everyone watching them happily. The moment is soon interrupted, however, by the sound of footsteps outside of the room before the door opens to reveal Brock and Holly. Brock is holding a gift bag and a couple of plastic balloons while Holly walks behind, with her hand behind her back to support her eight-months-pregnant body.

"Hey, you guys," Ash greets with a smile.

"Hey, sorry we're late," Brock says.

"It's okay," Serena says. "What matters is you're both here."

Brock nods before Holly steps in and asks, "Can we see the baby?"

Serena smiles brightly and nods before holding the baby up so that Brock can take it. The tan-skinned man holds the baby in a direction where his wife can see the child despite her large belly.

"Aw, what a cutie," she coos.

"That's what I said," Bonnie says.

Brock smiles and turns to his two friends.

"You do have a good looking baby," he says.

"Thanks. It sure wasn't easy," Serena says.

"You're telling me," Holly says, rubbing her belly. "I got child number six growing inside me here, and I can only imagine what Coovers' wife, Erin, went through with their triplet boys."

Serena makes a grim face, silently agreeing with the auburn-haired woman. Brock and Holly go back to looking at the newborn baby with everyone watching until Drew realizes something.

"Speaking of Coovers, isn't the Indigo League finals starting about now?" He asks.

Max's eyes widen, and he says, "That's right. Timothy might have started battling already."

Everyone else's eyes widen in alarm before Ash quickly grabs the remote on the stand next to the bed and turns on the TV implanted on the wall. He changes the channel until the image of the Indigo stadium appears with an audience cheering. On the battlefield, they see a familiar man with a "H.A.K." shirt on standing on one side of the field with a Raichu standing next to him.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, happy to see Electchu on the screen.

"Oh, good. Looks like we turned it on before it started," Dawn says in relief.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"Yeah, hope he wins this time so he can finally face Lance again," Bonnie says with a smile.

"You said it," May agrees.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for is finally here!" An announcer shouts from the speakers. "Who will win this match? Will it be Liam Harrington from Vermillion City, or will it be Timothy Durbin from Postwick in the Galar region? I'm on pins and needles, so let's get this battle started!"

The crowd cheers again, and a referee walks to the sidelines with a flag on each hand.

"This is a full-on battle between Liam and Timothy!" He declares. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! If anyone returns their Pokemon, it will be out of the match! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready!" The man named Liam says.

Timothy, however, turns to the referee and says, "Actually, I have something I need to say first."

The referee looks at Timothy, confused before gesturing him to go ahead. Everyone in the hospital room looks at the TV, confused while Timothy clears his throat.

"I just want to take a moment to thank my family for all of their support!" He shouts proudly. "I don't know where I would be without the love of my life and our two children!"

The image cuts to a woman who has a two-year-old girl on her lap and a five-year-old boy, both sitting in the middle of the stands. The woman and the two kids are happily cheering for Timothy, not caring if anyone else is looking at them.

"Wow, it's his whole family," Bonnie says with a big smile.

"Yup, there's his wife and their kids, Christopher and Judy," Ash says. "They came to visit us a couple weeks ago before going to Indigo Plateau."

Serena smiles fondly and says, "I'm glad we were finally able to meet Judy."

"So I devote this battle to my family and to my friends, Ash and Serena Ketchum, who I recently heard had their child!" Timothy continues. "So Ash, Serena, congratulations, and I hope you enjoy the battle!"

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts in agreement.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Bonnie, Max, May, Drew, Delia, and Grace look at the TV in confusion.

"How does he know that already?" Grace asks.

Brock and Holly turn to each other, smiling before the former says, "Oh, we may have video called him on the way here. Thought he would like to hear the good news as soon as possible."

Ash and Serena turn to their friend and smile appreciatively. But then they hear a whimper and realize that their baby is starting to cry. Serena frowns and reaches out to Brock with both hands before he gives her back her child, and she cradles it gently.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetie. There's no need to cry," she says soothingly. "Mommy and Daddy are here."

"That's right, and we're not going to leave your side," Ash says, looking at his child in a fatherly way with his hand still wrapped around Serena.

The baby starts to quiet down, feeling comforted by Ash and Serena's voices. The married couple smile before Serena turns to Ash.

"Say something else, Ash," she says.

"Say something else? Why?" Ash asks.

"Because babies usually become more comfortable around their parents when they hear their voices before and after birth," Delia answers.

"Uh, what do I say, though?" Ash asks.

"Whatever you feel like saying just so long that your child hears you," Grace answers.

Ash frowns and tries to think of something to say until Bonnie snaps her fingers.

"Hey, I know. Why not tell a story?" She suggests.

"That's a great idea," Dawn says happily.

"Piplup," Piplup says with a nod.

"That would be a good way to talk for a good long while," Max says.

"Mmm-hmmm," Drew nods.

"Yeah, tell a story," May says.

"Tell a story? But I -" Ash begins before Serena puts her hand on his lap.

"Please, Ash? You always tell wonderful stories," she says.

Ash still hesitates before he smiles and kisses his wife's head again.

"Okay. I'll tell a story," he says.

Serena smiles at her husband and rests her head on his shoulder while still holding the baby. Delia, Grace, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Bonnie, Max, May, and Drew huddle around the bed while Pikachu stands beside Ash, Serena, and their child. Ash scratches his head to think of a story until he glances at the TV, where Timothy's battle is about to begin. His old rival calls out Gengar as his first Pokemon while his opponent takes out a Nidorino. Ash smiles brightly, knowing exactly what story to tell. He places his hand on Serena's hand that is holding the baby's head as the couple looks at their beloved child with hearts full of love.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who dreamed of becoming a Pokemon Master," he begins. "The night before he got his first Pokemon, he was watching a big Pokemon battle just like this one."

On the TV, the man in the "H.A.K." shirt smirks as Gengar and Nidorino get ready to attack each other.

Author's Note: Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for reading The Road to our Destiny all the way through. To be honest, a part of me kind of wanted to write a story that takes place in the anime but decided against it because I thought I wouldn't have a story that would bring anything new to the table. But then after going through the Battle Frontier season, I realized that with contests also talking place in Kanto and Johto in the anime, Serena really had four regions to choose from, not just Hoenn and Sinnoh. That discovery that I could make a story where Serena chooses to go to Kanto with Ash and they start a journey together that eventually leads to romance is what gave birth to this major passion project. The past 15 months of writing, editing, and then publishing this story from start to finish was a lot of work and I want to thank my editor from Deviantart who helped me edit the story and make sure that it was accurate to the anime and Pokemon in general as possible. This story would not have been as authentic as it is without him and I'm thankful for his help. I'm also glad that so many of you really enjoyed this story. It shows that all of my hard work paid off.

Having said all of that, I must announce some news that I imagine you will be bummed to hear. The Road to our Destiny is my final fanfiction story. I am working on giving my big My Little Pony: Equestria Girls story, A Search for Something More one big edit for full publishing, but apart from that I am officially retiring from writing fanfiction. To put it plainly, I've run out of stories that I really want to tell, and I want to move forward beyond fanfiction. I have a couple of future writing projects that I hope to start working on soon that I hope (Lord willing) will lead to some good things.

So, I just want to say that I appreciate the time you've all taken to read all of my stories and that you've enjoyed them so much. If you'd like to see more from me, I also make fanart on Deviantart that I hope I will continue doing, so if you want more Amourshipping stuff from me, my artwork is there under the same username. If you're a fan of My Little Pony fanfiction, I would also deeply appreciate you taking a look at my stories on, also under the same username. Regardless, I thank the Lord for all the experience I've gained as a writer over the past 4 ½ ish years of writing through 9 whole stories (not counting an unfinished My Little Pony one) and I hope you will continue to enjoy the stories I've made in all of that time. I wish to part from my fanfiction writing days with a song that I think is fitting for this moment.

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Thank you once again for reading and the Lord be with each and every one of you.

-HAKDurbin